"Whether Sect Master Ye is a divine being or not, I'm not sure, but he is absolutely top-notch when it comes to teaching spells."
With her hands forming seals, countless pink petals materialized around Jia Yulan, which under her control, overlapped into various shapes with great flexibility.
"Indeed, she's approaching major achievement!"
Jia Li'an was once again astonished. "Right, the Misty Sect... Could it be the lesser sect located over a dozen miles east of the city on Misty Peak?"
"Precisely," Jia Yulan nodded.
Jia Li'an and the several elders exchanged incredulous looks.
"It is said that Sect Master Ye is the Old Sect Leader's junior brother who vanished many years ago; outside rumors claimed this person had no cultivation level. Unexpectedly, he excels in teaching spells. Daughter, lead the way, your father will personally pay a visit!"
Having said this, Jia Li'an prepared to act.
"Father, there's no hurry today. I'll be reporting to Misty Peak tomorrow, and if you happen to be free, you can come along," Jia Yulan suggested.
"Reporting… Report what exactly?"
Jia Li'an suddenly felt an ominous sense that his prized cabbage had been ruined by a pig.
"I have already joined the Misty Sect. Starting from tomorrow, of course, I will be cultivating at Misty Peak," confessed Jia Yulan.
Jia Yulan knew some things couldn't be kept secret, besides, she had come back to announce this very news.
"How… How could you join such a lower-ranked sect?" lamented Jia Li'an, the corner of his mouth twitching.
As the head of the Jia Family, a ninth-level Qi Refinement expert, he was well aware of all the forces surrounding Whitefloat City, and of course, he knew the situation of the Misty Sect.
To his knowledge, the Misty Sect was nearly disbanded.
A lower-ranked sect that had developed over so many years was so poor they couldn't even afford to fix their gate, and many disciples had fled out of hunger.
For his cherished daughter to cultivate in such a sect – wouldn't that be suffering?
"Sect Master Ye Feng is certainly no ordinary person; as a spell master, why can't I join the Misty Sect?" Jia Yulan cajoled.
"You will be the death of me!"
Jia Li'an huffed.
But then, he considered that since Ye Feng had been able to teach the "Falling Blooms in Profusion", he probably wasn't a swindler.
Thus, he amended his approach. "Given the circumstances, we shall visit in person tomorrow. If the Misty Sect isn't to my liking, you must quit the Misty Sect," he said.
"I won't quit!"
Jia Yulan huffed, stepping onto a bird-shaped formation of petals and lightly flew away from the Council Hall.
"Daughter, come back!"
Jia Li'an quickly followed after her, leaving the elders exchanging glances.
…
Hundred Sects Plaza.
Sect Master Ye and his companions clutched their stomachs, all feeling hungry, and upon seeing the scorching midday sun, they began to entertain the thought of returning home.
"Pack up, pack up."
Unable to bear it any longer, Ye Feng, accompanied by Shi Lei and the others, found a restaurant to satiate their hunger and thirst. After leaving the city, they flew directly back to Misty Peak on their swords.
There were over a dozen miles from the eastern city gate to Misty Peak, with a swamp in between.
At this moment, the sun blazed in the sky.
The weight of six people plus a little white fox on the Breeze-riding Sword was so heavy that it could only fly at a leisurely pace, casting a slowly moving shadow over the ground.
In the marshland, on a patch of open rock,
Brother Flathead, basking in the sun, noticed something briefly covered the sun. Although it was just a moment, he sensed it and opened his eyes in anger.
Looking up, it just so happened to see Ye Feng and the group flying above.
"Roar!"
Brother Flathead, enraged, chased after them through the dense forest.
Ye Feng and his group remained unaware of Brother Flathead below and continued flying at their leisurely pace.
Shortly after, they landed on the peak.
"Look, this is our Misty Sect's mountain gate. Doesn't it have an imposing presence?" Ye Feng stood at the front, speaking with drama and passion.
Long Tianxing looked at the dilapidated walls and the courtyard that was in ruins, even the gate was kicked to pieces and lay in the bushes, and his face immediately took on a bizarre expression.
"Yes... yes, indeed! How imposing."
Long Tianxing praised with a conscience that was less than clear.
"Cough cough! Now that we have Spirit Stones, in due time we will begin a full renovation of the Sect, and by then, everyone will have a fine bedroom of their own."
Ye Feng slapped his chest in assurance.
Currently, Misty Sect had a total of more than two hundred lower-grade Spirit Stones, surpassing the amount when the Sect was founded. With just ten of them, they could be exchanged for ten taels of gold, enough to refurbish the entire Misty Sect.
"Ah... okay!"
Long Tianxing didn't mean to disparage it but felt that the entrance of Misty Sect was somewhat shabby, quite a bit different from what he imagined.
"Let's go inside and settle down for now!"
Ye Feng suggested.
But before he had finished speaking, the Little White Fox lying in Li Jiaojiao's arms suddenly woke up with a start, baring its teeth and snarling down the path, with its fur standing on end and a ferocious look on its face.
"There's a strong demonic aura approaching!"
Mo Ying, with the highest cultivation level, quickly sensed the anomaly and pointed down the mountain road.
The group walked over.
They saw a wild beast, over a meter long with white fur on top and black underneath, climbing rapidly up the mountain.
"Roar!"
Brother Flathead roared angrily at the people at the peak, with an air of "I'm gonna tear you apart."
"Good heavens! It's actually Brother Flathead."
Ye Feng was taken aback.
Legend had it that these creatures feared neither heaven nor earth and never held a grudge overnight, always settling their scores on the same day they were wronged.
"But we didn't provoke it!"
Ye Feng scratched his head, looking perplexed.
"Everyone, be careful. That's a high-rank Demon Soldier Level mysterious demonic beast of unknown origin; it might be capable of going toe to toe with a Ninth Level Qi Refinement cultivator."
Mo Ying pinched a spell and prepared for combat.
If it were a human cultivator at the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement, even wielding a lower-grade Spiritual Artifact like the Breeze-riding Sword, she would not dare to confront it.
But as it was just a demonic beast, a fight was possible.
Lower-rank demonic beasts rarely used spells and relied on brute strength and physical advantages in combat, which made them rather inflexible.
"A demonic beast attacking our Sect entrance?"
Long Tianxing didn't know what to say.
This was his first day as a beginner, and he had already encountered a "Sect crisis"—truly an indescribable situation.
"Wow wow!"
Brother Flathead kept howling with a face full of hatred, as if it held deep grudges against Ye Feng and his group.
"Sect Master Uncle, what should we do?"
Li Jiaojiao exclaimed in alarm.
She constantly soothed the Little White Fox in her arms, hoping it wouldn't be frightened.
"The demonic beast is approaching fiercely; everyone, get ready for combat." Ye Feng picked up a broken gate plank from the ground, ready to use it as a weapon.
Shi Lei, Huo Yunjie, Li Jiaojiao, and Mo Ying all lined up at the forefront, beginning to cast their spells.
Soon, Brother Flathead charged at them.
Without a word, it pounced towards Shi Lei, the closest one. With a "crack," the Iron Shield Technique Shi Lei had cast was torn apart by its sharp claws.
An explosive force erupted, throwing Shi Lei into the air, leaving him seeing stars.
"Big brother!"
Li Jiaojiao and Huo Yunjie cried out in shock, quickly using the Iron Shield Technique to intercept, but they too were knocked flying with a swipe of the paw.
"That ferocious?"
Ye Feng was stunned and thought to himself that the opponent was truly worthy of being Brother Flathead—fierce against the heavens, the earth, and even the air itself.